ss of time, become the property of the major
himself. It was thus that the archdeacon looked at it, and as he did
so, he thought that his son was the most cross-grained of men.

But the major had his own way of looking at the matter. He had, he
flattered himself, dealt very fairly with his father. When he had
first made up his mind to make Miss Crawley his wife, he had told his
father of his intention. The archdeacon declared that, if he did so,
such and such results would follow,--results which, as was apparent
to every one, would make it indispensable that the major should leave
Cosby Lodge. The major had never complained. So he told himself.
He had simply said to his father,--"I shall do as I have said. You
can do as you have said. Therefore I shall prepare to leave Cosby
Lodge." He had so prepared; and as a part of that preparation, the
auctioneer's bills had been stuck up on the posts and walls. Then
the archdeacon had gone to work surreptitiously with the lady,--the
reader will understand that we are still following the workings of
the major's mind,--and having succeeded in obtaining a pledge which
he had been wrong to demand, came forward very graciously to withdraw
his threats. He withdrew his threats because he had succeeded in his
object by other means. The major knew nothing of the kiss that had
been given, of the two tears that had trickled down his father's
nose, of the generous epithets which the archdeacon had applied to
Grace. He did not guess how nearly his father had yielded altogether
beneath the pressure of Grace's charms,--how willing he was to
yield altogether at the first decent opportunity. His father had
obtained a pledge from Grace that she would not marry in certain
circumstances,--as to which circumstances the major was strongly
resolved that they should form no bar to his marriage,--and then
came forward with his eager demand that the sale should be stopped!
The major could not submit to so much indignity. He had resolved
that his father should have nothing to do with his marriage one way
or the other. He would not accept anything from his father on the
understanding that his father had any such right. His father had
asserted such right with threats, and he, the major, taking such
threats as meaning something, had seen that he must leave Cosby
Lodge. Let his father come forward, and say that they meant nothing,
that he abandoned all right to any interference as to his son's
marriage, and th